TORONTO - The opposition parties say the 2015 Ontario budget will mean higher electricity rates, fewer nurses in hospitals and cuts to other government services.
The budget includes a pledge to eliminate the 10.9-billion-dollar deficit in two years by finding efficiencies and ending some tax breaks for business.
The Liberals will sell 60 per cent of Hydro One to raise money to fund public transit and infrastructure projects.
But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says privatizing Hydro One will drive up already-high electricity bills and slash future government revenues from the utility that could fund health care and education.
The Progressive Conservatives say the Liberals are playing a shell game with finances, and predict the government will use money from the Hydro One sale to reduce the deficit.
The Ontario Federation of Labour says the Liberals don't have to privatize Hydro One to fund public transit, calling that a "false choice."
Public sector unions warn more nurses and other front-line health care workers will be laid off because hospital budgets have been flat lined.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario applauds the billions in transit and infrastructure spending in the budget, but is concerned regions outside the Toronto-to-Hamilton corridor are being short-changed.
The budget does call for an insurance premium discount for motorists who use winter tires, but it does not say how much companies should discount rates.
